From Press to Pulpit (originally Enoch Roden’s Training) (Hesba Stretton)

I’m Kelly Nash, the best fellow in the place. Everybody likes me; and I like myself! Brimming with mischief and armed with a twinkle in his eyes, Kelly Nash doesn’t have a care in the world. Work at the mill is easy, Grandfather doesn’t tell him what to do, and Kelly is one of the best boys in town—or so he believes himself to be. But Kelly has one major flaw—he doesn’t think! There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for a good laugh, and life is one big game. So it is for the simpleminded. What will it take for Kelly to cast off his naivety and become wise and discerning? It’ll take a lot, but seldom does God bring change in expected ways. For Kelly, it is little Annie Ingalls with her angelic smile and unassuming ways, but even her loveable character doesn’t keep Kelly from targeting her with boyish pranks. What secret power could Annie possess in her tiny frame? She’s different. She doesn’t cry or get angry; in fact, she doesn’t seem bothered by anything. How does she forgive so easily? Kelly’s conscience is waking up. Even though he doesn’t think, there is One who has never stopped thinking about him, and He is about to get Kelly’s attention. Swept away in the whirlwind of life, and a flood that could move mills and mountains, Kelly has a choice to make: either start thinking or die!